Miguel (whipping boy)

Miguel was the valet of the Portuguese crown prince Thomas, Lord of Palmela during the mid-16th century. In 1557, he accompanied Thomas to the court of King Henry II of France at Paris, where Thomas made Miguel his whipping boy and assaulted him in retaliation for his fiancee Mary, Queen of Scots' continued love for her former fiancee, Prince Francis of France. Later, Thomas decided to murder Miguel to prevent him from informing King Henry, Prince Francis, or Sebastian de Poitiers about Simon Westbrook's innocence and his own lord's guilt in warning the English before the Battle of Outreau; Thomas took Miguel to the game trails, where he planned to execute him. However, Francis and Sebastian confronted Thomas in a poppy field and slew him, and Miguel testified to Thomas' guilt.